News
Local

Maple syrup to flow in downtown Port Elgin

The Port Elgin BIA will welcome a maple syrup festival to downtown Port Elgin this spring after increased competition and set-up costs and poor weather forced the Saugeen Valley Conservation Foundation to cancel the annual event, held for 48 years at Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area.

There will be a Maple syrup festival in downtown Port Elgin this spring as the BIA (Business Improvement Area) agreed to take on the event held for 48 years at the Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area, hosted by the Saugeen Valley Conservation Foundation (SVCF).

Due to declining attendance blamed on site conditions, preparations and poor weather conditions, the annual spring event ran an undisclosed deficit last year. The Saugeen Conservation website said "increased competition, poor weather conditions and increased set-up costs" forced the cancellation.

Saugeen Conservation Chair, Deputy Mayor Luke Charbonneau said there "just wasn't enough revenue coming in to keep the thing going and so that crisis moment forced us to try to re-envision, to come up with something new to do something different with it…" and that led to the Port Elgin BIA.

During debate on the need for evolving partnerships with events like Pumpkinfest and this festival at the Sept. 11 Saugeen Shores committee of the whole meeting, Charbonneau said a lot of events in Ontario are having difficulty and more not-for-profit groups are needed for funding and volunteer support.

After the meeting Charbonneau said SVCF lost money on the event last year - exact figures will be made public by Saugeen Conservation - and it was time to "morph" the event into something else in partnership with the Port Elgin BIA.

Jeff Carver, President of the Port Elgin BIA, said they will continue the maple tradition in Coulter Parkette in downtown Port Elgin.

"Organizers have done an excellent job for decades, so as opposed to letting [the festival]go by the wayside, it is the BIA's belief that we can manage it within the downtown of Port Elgin…" Carver said in a Sept, 8 telephone interview, adding they were approached a couple of months ago with the transition request.

"The BIA's proven track record of executing fantastic events and doing it in a very manageable way is what I guess made us an attractive option, " Carver said, adding the next step is to sit down with festival organizers to brainstorm new ideas and events for 2018.

"I don't think that we can possibly hope to recreate a festival that was in the woods in a provincial park, so what we'll going to be doing is shape some changes to make it manageable, workable and a lot of fun within our downtown," Carver said, adding Maple syrup will always be the focus.

"Whether it is horse-and-wagon rides, the vendors or the activities for kids, there are many aspects of the festival that make sense and transfer from one venue to the other - I also look forward to creating new activities and events that function well in our downtown," Carver said, adding the timing of the festival is determined by Mother Nature, but it traditionally is held in March.